I’ve always been a person who likes to give to charities, whether it’s a major international organisation helping a country after some natural disaster or a local fund trying to help disadvantaged children.

I like to think I do my bit.

But I get really angry when, after I’ve donated to said charity, I then get bombarded with mail asking for more.

Not only that but the mail will often contain some ‘gift’ to make me feel guilty if I don’t give again.

It might be notelets, a keyring, Christmas cards or a fridge magnet – but frankly, it’s a waste of money.

Talking about the sun and its dangers might seem a bit strange after a weekend of heavy rain here, but frankly I don’t think there’s a right or wrong time to have this discussion, so long as we have it.

It was prompted by an article written by a journalist in the UK – where of course it’s still winter – a journalist who, like me, in her 20s liked the sun and having a sun tan almost more than anything else. Sadly to her detriment, as she’s just had the fight of her life against melanoma.

I recently overheard a Journalism student bemoaning the fact that yet again he’d heard someone say that journalism isn’t dead, it’s just evolving.

It probably is an overused phrase by those in the profession or working in journalism education – but understandably so. Who wants to be working in an industry that has no future?

Initially I thought, what, you’d rather we say it’s dead? That there’s no point in your three years at university because there won’t be any jobs at the end? Well that would be encouraging wouldn’t it?

Let’s face it who doesn’t? A time to travel, explore, relax and indulge a bit… okay, make that quite a bit.

But I never thought I’d be saying this: a trip to the United States is good for your health.

Well at least it was for me and my husband.

Our initial hotel had a ‘continental breakfast’ provided as part of an additional, compulsory, daily ‘resort fee’.

It was a little bit unusual – each room was provided with a small cold bag that you filled from the buffet and then you could eat it by the pool, on the beach or your hotel balcony. We chose the latter because of the stunning views we had.